The number of known coronavirus cases within the NBA has doubled to 14. Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics pleaded with people to take social distancing more seriously Thursday and the league ordered all teams to shutter their training facilities indefinitely.
Smart revealed that he tested positive and the Los Angeles Lakers said two of their players tested positive as well, bringing the number of players who have acquired the virus to 10. The Philadelphia 76ers said three members of their organization tested positive and the Denver Nuggets said someone within their franchise was positive as well.
The America East Conference announced that two people on the floor during recent tournament games have tested positive for the coronavirus. The games involved teams in the America East, Horizon League and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference during play from March 7-11.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton told ESPN that he learned Thursday he has tested positive for the new coronavirus. Payton is the first employee of either an NFL team or the league to make such a diagnosis public. He tells the network he came forward to motivate people to educate themselves about what they can do to help fight the pandemic. Payton says he has not been admitted to a hospital and does not have a fever or cough. The 56-year-old coach says he has been resting comfortably at home, where is in in self-quarantine.
Horse racing at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York has been suspended indefinitely after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. The New York Racing Association says there will be no live racing until further notice.
Roger Penske tells The Associated Press no decision has been made yet regarding the Indianapolis 500 in May — a race that draws more than 300,000 spectators annually. Penske bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series in January and has been preparing to host his first Indy 500 on May 24.
The first player under the PGA Tour umbrella has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The tour says Victor Lange of South Africa was diagnosed with COVID-19 upon returning home to Johannesburg on March 9 from playing a PGA Tour Latinoamerica event in Mazatlan, Mexico.
An Italian company that makes cycling apparel for some of the world's best teams along with jerseys for the world championships will shift production to masks to help the nation confront the coronavirus crisis. Santini said Thursday it would work with a local textile company to begin making masks next week. It hopes to provide up to 10,000 per day.
MLB
The Red Sox announced Thursday that left-hander Chris Sale would have Tommy John surgery. The operation would keep him out the entire 2020 baseball season if and when it resumes after the coronavirus pandemic. Other MLB teams will also take advantage of the downtime to treat players.San Francisco Giants right-hander Tyler Beede will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery. And Houston's Justin Verlander underwent groin surgery.
Minor league players shut out of spring training camps will receive allowances from teams through April 8, and a plan is underway to compensate those players during the postponed portion of the regular season. Minor leaguers will receive allowances of $400 per week from teams in a lump sum. That's a significant bump from their usual spring per diems of $100-200 per week. Teams hope that will allow players to cover housing, food and other expenses through the previously scheduled end of spring training. The minor league season was supposed to open April 9.
NFL
The NFL's off-the-field business has joined most of the rest of the country in full work-from-home mode. That has turned signings and trades into tests of patience and technology. Conducting a free agency period during a global pandemic has produced complications well beyond the usual salary-cap constraints. Because team facilities have closed out of concern for the spread of the coronavirus, players have not been able to take the physical exams required to finalize contracts with team physicians.
The Buffalo Bills have confirmed signing safety Jordan Poyer to a two-year contract extension, which locks up the three-year starter through the 2022 season. Poyer was entering the final year of the four-year contract.
Darius Slay got what he was waiting for — a trade out of Detroit and a big new contract. The Lions agreed to trade Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles, ending the standout cornerback's seven-year stint in Detroit. His agent sats Slay has agreed to a three-year, $50 million extension with Philadelphia. The Lions drafted Slay 36th overall in 2013, and he earned All-Pro honors in 2017.
The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a deal with safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, adding a familiar name for new coach Mike McCarthy. Clinton-Dix's representatives, SportsTrust Advisors, announced the move early Friday on Twitter.
The Los Angeles Rams have released Todd Gurley. The superstar running back had a massive contract and a troubling injury history. The Rams made the move several minutes before roughly $10 million in the three-time Pro Bowl selection's contract became fully guaranteed. The Rams signed the 2015 first-round pick to a four-year, $60 million contract with $45 million guaranteed in June 2018.
A person with knowledge of the move tells The Associated Press that the Denver Broncos are waiving Joe Flacco after he failed his physical. Flacco sustained a neck injury last season and missed the final two months of the season. He was eventually replaced by rookie Drew Lock. Earlier this week the Broncos agreed to terms with new backup quarterback Jeff Driskel.
The Baltimore Ravens have announced the deal that secured defensive end Calais Campbell, a skilled run-stopper who also has a knack for getting to the quarterback. To get Campbell, Baltimore gave Jacksonville the 2020 fifth-round pick it got from Atlanta in a trade that sent tight end Hayden Hurst to the Falcons.
The Minnesota Vikings and kicker Dan Bailey have agreed to terms on a new contract. Bailey was fourth in the NFL in 2019 with a 93.1 percent field goal rate, his best since 2015. Bailey made 27 of 29 kicks, including all three tries from 50-plus yards. Bailey also landed touchbacks on 66 of 87 kickoffs.
The Cleveland Browns beefed up their defensive front, agreeing to terms with former Bengals tackle Andrew Billings. Billings is the third defensive player to strike a deal with the Browns in 24 hours. The team reached deals with linebacker B.J. Goodson and safety Karl Joseph on Wednesday.
The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with center/guard Tyler Shatley on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million. The deal includes $600,000 guaranteed. The Jags previously agreed to terms with Cleveland linebacker Joe Schobert, Cincinnati cornerback Darqueze Dennard and Arizona defensive lineman Rodney Gunter over the last two days.
A person familiar with the deal says the San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a one-year contract worth about $3 million with free agent guard Tom Compton. Compton will help fill the void created by the planned release of Mike Person.
NHL
The Nashville Predators have signed forward Cole Smith to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season. Smith just finished his senior season at North Dakota, where he scored a career-high 11 goals and had 18 points in 34 games. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound forward played on both the power play and penalty kill as a senior and helped North Dakota win its conference's regular-season title. He finished with 51 points in 137 games over four years at North Dakota.
OLYMPICS
The Olympic flame has arrived in Japan from Greece and was greeted in a scaled-down ceremony at an air base in northern Japan. The flame touched down amid doubts if the Tokyo Games can open as scheduled on July 24 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Organizers and the IOC say it will, but postponement or cancellation is seen as a growing option. The flame will stay in northern Japan for almost a week until the four-month torch relay begins officially on March 26 from the northern Fukushima prefecture.
Two senior Italian sports executives have issued emotional appeals to the International Olympic Committee to revise its stance over the Tokyo Games. The calls come as the death toll in Italy from the coronavirus overtakes China's.
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